1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to bathroom accessories, and more specifically to shower curtain rods, mounting devices for installing curtain rods, and methods of installing and using shower curtain rods.
2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information
In protecting a bathroom from the adverse effects of water escaping from a shower area of the bathroom, artisans of the past have developed a variety of conventional shower rods, curtains, and mounting devices. The most common apparatus of the past includes a straight metal rod that is mounted to opposite walls above the shower by flange members that are screwed into the wall. The flange members of the past typically have central openings for receiving and supporting respective ends of the curtain rod. The engagement of shower rods with these flange members allow the rod to rotate easily within the mounting devices. Therefore, the devices of the past are deficient in resisting rotation when a torquing force is applied.
Furthermore, the shower rods are typically straight and are therefore deficient in providing a surrounding effect. Alternatively stated, the most common shower rods of the past do not adequately provide for covering a plurality of sides of a shower area. Rather, the rods of the past typically cover a shower access opening side of the shower area only. Even if a user attempts to extend a portion of a curtain that is supported on the conventional straight rods in a depth direction at the ends of the shower area, the rod does not permit sufficient coverage of additional sides.
Also, the reveal of most tub and shower combinations tends to push the ends of the shower curtain inwardly away from end walls of the shower. Thus, not only is it difficult for a user to get any coverage of the end walls, but it is also difficult to keep the shower access side covered. Hence, at least some water will usually escape from the shower area during showering. Escaping water results in damage to floors, floor coverings, cabinets, and furniture. Furthermore, escaping water requires added clean-up. More importantly, wet floors result in accidents. Hence, the conventional devices of the past are deficient in protecting floors, furniture, and people.
Furthermore, the method of mounting conventional shower curtain rods requires attaching at least one of the mounting devices after inserting the shower curtain rod in the mounting device. This has the disadvantage of being cumbersome and requires physically keeping track of both the rod and the mounting device at the same time. Thus, the shower rod devices of the past are deficient in providing an apparatus that only requires attention to one of the rod and the mounting devices during attachment of the mounting devices to opposite walls.
Other conventional shower rods and mounting devices are rigidly connected to each other, but still lack the non-linear configuration that enables shower curtain coverage of plural surrounding sides. To accomplish the further surrounding configuration, past devices have implemented rods and mounting arrangements that attach at a multitude of locations to surrounding walls and/or the ceiling. The most common form of mounting the shower rods of this type is by additional branches off of the shower rod with the branches mounted to the walls or the ceiling. However, these additional branches interfere with free sliding of the curtain along the entire shower curtain rod. That is, if a branch is provided at a central location along the shower curtain rod, then the shower curtain rings are stopped by the branch and cannot pass. Such branches at corners, for example, would not permit a single shower curtain to be extended around the corner and slid in the depth direction to the rear.
Further examples of past devices include spring loaded or internal screw threaded rods with pads or cleats on opposite distal ends for engaging the end walls. These devices generally depend on friction for mounting to the opposite end walls. Hence, they are not well adapted for withstanding torquing forces and the rods of these devices are straight. Therefore, the rods of the spring loaded and internal screw threaded devices are deficient in the same way as the other straight rods described above.